Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Visited The Banjaran today and I now understand why it is such an expensive choice for a retreat. The criteria of guests that are eligible to reserve a villa and enjoy its facilities are:

1) To be of age 16 and above2) Must be filthy rich (just kidding). As long as you can afford it, you are eligible!

Being the first retreat to have a closer call to nature as well as enhancing the wellness of every being who resides within, The Banjaran is definitely a place which should not be missed by people who want experience nature more personally.

Let me take you on a virtual tour to the Retreat. This chance only come by once and unless you marry some millionaire who can afford to provide you with such luxury, you must keep on reading!!

Greeneries

I absolutely love the signs

This is the steps leading into the Meditation Cave. Could not snap so many pictures in the cave as I am having Corby Camera which does not have flash.

9pm! I wonder who will go there in the dark? Scary...

One and only photo of the interior of the Meditation Cave.

Huge leaves!!

The special pathway to Lost World only for Banjaran guests

Reflexology, anyone? Too bad they were cleaning the pond at that time and the fishes are kept away. I want to see some doctor fishes!

We actually have to cross the rocks to get across. Reminds me so much about the scene when Alice stepped on the human skulls to get across to the Red Queen's castle.

Dipping pool for tired feet.

The temperature of the thermal water for the day is recorded each day.

The best part of Banjaran is of course the spa and wellness centre. Everyone loves some pampering during a holiday!

The entrance. I was really excited to go in and have a look. We were told that only guests of age 21 and above can enjoy the treatments provided. I forgot the reason why.

The person in charge of the spa. The way she talked reminded me of Kristy, the trainer of the Biggest Loser Asia. Such strong Australian accent. =)

The Hydro Therapy Room. It feels oddly like a time machine to me. My brain thinks of funny things seeing new stuffs.

Colonic Hydro Therapy Room. The butler said it is used for cleaning the stomach. How? Too bad there wasn't time for a demo.

Ayurvedic Villa

TCM Villa. Can anyone guess what TCM stands for?

An area where guests rest after their therapy. Each guest can only choose one type of therapy per session. Imagine if they were to go through every kind of treatment, I wonder if their body is strong enough to endure all of it.

So therapeutic! I feel like staying here for a long time!

Water Villas. Flash flood has hit the villas! The 'flood' is hotspring water though it looks murky.

A mini waterfall

Another part of the villa that I like. Plunge pool for every villa. There are 25 villas in total so there are 25 of them, with a slight vary in size.

Entrance to haven! The Garden Villa

The Banjaran is so eco-friendly that every decoration in the resort is made from recycled items. As for this tissue box, if you look carefully, you can see some alphabets on it. Those are printings from magazines and newspapers!

The aroma of palm leaves is in the air! Every roof of the retreat is made entirely from palm leaves.

The open closet in the restroom of the villa

Jacuzzi with three types of waters to choose from the 3 taps: Thermal, geothermal or ordinary cold water. I still can't tell the difference between thermal and geothermal. Too lazy to search, so google it yourselves. Hehe.

Rainshower!

The 7' by 7' king-sized bed with fluffy feathered pillows.

Vanity counter. There are two counters provided in each restroom of the villas. The women's counter will always have an extra table mirror for vain girls!

The view from Water Villa

Living up to its name, this cave can really make you perspire. Steaming you like a cha siu pao that are sold in dim sum restaurants. We went in and started sweating almost instantly. Wearing a blazer accelerates the perspiration process. The moment we came out and meet with the glaring sun once again, it felt like the outdoor had been air-conditioned. That was how warm the cave was.

Can you see the glittering stones beneath the sign?

I only see this in crystal shops! Now I finally saw it in the Crystal Cave.

The most beautiful part of The Banjaran is the crystal stars on the ceiling of the Crystal Cave.

Lining the walls of the cave. Beautiful!

Too gorgeous!

Stalagmite?

After the two hours tour around the retreat, we were served a refreshing drink at the reception. Didn't expect them to give us anything at all.